


Bracelets and Questions

by isnt_that_wizard



Series: Dad!Richie IT AU [2]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, CeCe is the most adorable character I've ever written, CeCe loves Stanley Uris, Continuation, F/M, Fluff, Happy, Idiots in Love, M/M, One Year Later, References to PTSD, Stan and Richie are bestest friends, mentions of Stan's suicide attempt, please enjoy, richie and eddie live together, they're CeCe's parents, this is just fluff after fluff after fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 17:21:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21359875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isnt_that_wizard/pseuds/isnt_that_wizard
Summary: It's been one year since the Losers defeated It once and for all. They finally have each other back and are working on their slow recovery. Richie has never been happier with Eddie by his side to love him and help raise his daughter Celia. The Losers now all live on the east coast and see each other regularly. One night, after dinner, CeCe emerges from her bedroom to give a gift to Stanley. Along with the gift, Richie and Eddie have a very important question for their close friend and his wife.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Audra Phillips, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Patricia Blum Uris/Stanley Uris, Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris
Series: Dad!Richie IT AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1539652
Comments: 4
Kudos: 204





	Bracelets and Questions

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to the first part of this series, and I highly suggest reading that one first or you'll be very confused!

It had been a little over a year since they'd defeated It once and for all. The Losers were just as close as ever, and Richie Tozier had never been happier. When Eddie had moved in with him and CeCe, his daughter had taken a shine to him almost immediately. It took only two days before she shyly called Eddie "Papa" and both adults quietly shed tears. They got along even better than Richie could have hoped, though he really could do without their teaming up to absoluetly destroy him. Eddie had found a new job, still as a risk analyst, and Richie had fired his manager and found someone who both believed in him and thought his original material was actually funny. They were happy in LA with their loving relationship and their beautiful daughter. Richie always smiled at the thought that within a couple months, CeCe's adoption papers would go through and she really would be _their _daughter, not just his.

It made life all the better that after finally finding each other again, all the Losers had moved closer together. Bill, Richie, and Eddie had all stayed in LA, Bev and Ben had moved out to San Francisco- Ben was in love with the city's architecture- Mike was still traveling but had bought an apartment in San Diego, and after his recovery, Stan and Patricia Uris had moved to LA as well, only about 10 minutes from Richie and Eddie. Because everyone lived closely to each other, they made an effort to get together at least once a month. Intermittently they would see each other in the time in between, too, and had one chaotic group chat to keep each other overly updated on their lives.

Bill and Stan both offered frequently to take CeCe for a day or night if Richie and Eddie were working or had something going on. It was nice having their two best friends so close. They had designated Friday or Saturday nights- depending on everyone ever changing schedules- for getting together for dinner with the four of them, Audra, Patty, and CeCe. This Saturday night was mostly no different, and the house rotation had landed on Richie and Eddie this time. Bill and Audra hadn't been able to make it this time around; they were in Canada for filming on Audra's latest movie. Stan and Patty were there, though, and since Eddie was pretty busy and Richie's cooking skills were getting better but still kinda rough, they had simply had pasta for dinner. No one, of course, complained; they were all purely happy to be together.

After a loud dinner of swapping stories, jokingly yelling at each other, and the shrieks of a spoiled six year old, Eddie had been elected to get CeCe a bath and ready for bed while the others cleaned up. Now, a few hours later, the four adults were sitting in the apartment's small living room watching TV. Stan and Patty were pressed together on the couch and it was late enough that they had just changed the channel onto an old episode of Saturday Night Live. It made Richie smile to himself and Eddie shoot him a look as he thought back to last week when he'd gotten a call from his agent saying that Lorne Michaels had seen a recent set of his and was interested in having him audition for the show. He hadn't told anyone but Eddie yet, but he knew they'd all be excited for them when he did.

They'd just gotten through the cold open when CeCe, dressed in her Nightmare Before Christmas themed nightgown, came bounding into the room. She stopped in the doorway, a wide grin on her face and something clasped between her palms. Richie sat up at the sight of her, frowning a little bit. CeCe very rarely got up after being put to bed unless she had a nightmare or needed to pee. Having her come out of her room always heightened Richie's paranoia even more than normal. He tried so hard to not be overbearing and coddling- though CeCe having just turned six meaned he was still allowed to be- but after his childhood and still being plagued with nightmares of a clown trying to kill him, he wanted desperately to protect her from anything and everything.

"CeCe. . . what are you doing out of bed, baby girl?"

With an even wider grin, she said, "I have a present."

"What do you mean you have a present?"

CeCe just shook her head and began walking right past him and Eddie. "Not for you, daddy."

She proudly bounced her way over to the love seat couch, stopping directly in front of Stan. He smiled down at her, though Richie could tell his best friend was confused as to why she was coming to see him this late at night. The two had grown close; CeCe loved Stan a lot. She would excitedly wait all week to see him so they could do puzzles or he could teach her about birds or they could watch movies and whisper and giggle back and forth about some private joke. Richie knew that someday, hopefully soon, Stan would make an amazing father.

"Hey, sweetheart. What's up?"

CeCe had a toothy and proud smile on her face as she finally opened up her fists to present whatever it was she had to Stan. She put in his hands two bracelets. They were a bit messy, string and beads strung together in what seemed to be no sense of organization. On each bracelet, in the centers, there were words. On one it said Stan and on the other Uris. Stan smiled at the gift, though he still looked confused. CeCe, however, just looked incredibly happy with herself.

"I worked on them aaaall day and just finished!" she announced.

"Well, thank you very much, Ce. What are these lovely gifts for?" Stan asked gently, reaching out to brush a long brown curl out of the six year old's face. He glanced to Richie to look for an answer, but the comedian just shrugged to show his own confusion.

"Well, Papa doesn't like lookin' at the line on his cheek and daddy said you don't like lookin' at the lines on your wrist, so I made you bracelets to cover them up!"

The room was silent as CeCe finished except for the quiet "oh" Stan let out. Next to him, Patty gently placed her fingertips over her mouth. Stan stared at the bracelets in his hands. Eddie and Richie glanced to each other. They both remembered the conversation they'd had with her about a week prior. She'd asked why Stan's arms had those weird marks. For a while, they'd both frozen, not knowing what to say. The cuts Stan had made on his wrists were similar to everything else had done in his life, efficient and clean. One long, deep slice against his skin and veins on each arm. Eddie had tried to steer the conversation away, but Richie had pulled his little girl to him and said, "One time something really bad happened to Stan and he got hurt. The lines on his wrists mean he healed and he's okay now, but Stan doesn't really like talking about it."

CeCe had replied with an okay and that was that. This was the first time since then that it had even been brought up. Patty looked like she had the beginnings of tears in her eyes and there was now a small smile resting on Stan's lip. He slipped the bracelets over his hands so they now rested right over the scars. The bracelets looked a little tight on his wrists, but CeCe had used a stretchy string so they would adjust over time. Richie had learned that when CeCe had made him a necklace that had very much not been fitted for an adult male and she refused to let him take it off the rest of the day. He'd tugged on it to help it stretch over the day until he could comfortably wear it. CeCe bounced on her heals with joy as she watched Stan with the bracelets, the smile never leaving her face.

"Thank you, CeCe," Stan said again.

"You're welcome, Uncle Stan!"

Stan froze at the words, but CeCe didn't seem to notice, climbing her way up onto his lap and rearranging her night gown. Patty had begun fully letting tears fall at this point, and Eddie reached to grip Richie's hand. CeCe had never called Stan "uncle" before. She'd never called _any _of the Losers "aunt" or "uncle". It made Richie smile widely. When he was a kid, he always imagined he and Stan being friends forever, being uncles to each other's kids. Here they were now, all these many years later, and Stan was CeCe's uncle. Not even because Richie had said so but because _CeCe _had. To Richie, that was even more special.

When it seemed Stan had recovered from the shock of CeCe's words, he had tears in his eyes and he silently wrapped his arms around CeCe, pulling her into his chest and hugging her. The six year old smiled, resting her head on her shoulder. It seemed now that she'd finished the bracelets, it had caught up to her that it was hours past her bedtime. She yawned deeply and closed her eyes. Stan blinked away tears, looking up at the ceiling. Patty leaned into him, resting a hand on her husband arm. He smiled at her before pressing a kiss into CeCe's hair. Both Richie and Eddie watched the scene with a smile. When they looked at each other, Eddie nodded once to Richie. Richie took a deep breath before nodding back.

"Stan-" he started, not quite sure how to properly word his sentence. His best friend looked at him, eyes still wet. "Eddie and I have been talking and, well- I mean, I would have done this when she was born, if I'd remembered you, but, well, better late than never and. . . Shit. Stan, Patty, we were wondering if you guys would be willing to be Celia's godparents."

Patty gasped with a smile, looking to Stan who had new tears falling down his cheeks. "Shit, Rich. . . God, what is it with you Toziers and making me cry tonight?"

Everyone let out a quiet laugh, all careful not to wake the now sleeping girl.

"It's just," Eddie piped up, "we can see how much you both love CeCe, and how much she loves you. You're both so good at taking care of her and we want you to have that special relationship with her."

Patty reached out a hand, softly stroking CeCe's curls before looking up to Richie and Eddie with a smile. "We would be honored."

Stan nodded along, disbelief and joy written across his face. He gently stood up with CeCe in his arms, the rest of them following suit. Stan carefully passed her off to Eddie before pulling Richie into a tight hug. Neither of them knew how they'd managed to get this far in life without their brother by their side for so long.

"I'm always gonna be there for you and your family, Rich."

"Thanks, man," Richie mumbled into Stan's shoulder. Pulling out of the hug, he said, "And I really- I didn't know about the bracelets. I know you hate the scars and I'm sorry she brought it up-"

"Shut up, Richie. I love them. Looking down and being able to think about CeCe instead of that fucking clown is way better than what I've been going through this last year. It's- I love them. I love her, too."

"Rich, I really don't know how you managed to raise a kid at all, let alone one as good as this little one," Eddie said, shifting CeCe in his arms, "It's nothing short of a miracle."

Richie knew Eddie was teasing, rolling his eyes hard. "Shut up, Spaghetti Man, and hand me my kid."

"_Our _kid," Eddie corrected, but he gently placed CeCe against Richie's chest anyway. She let out a small whine as she was given to a yet another person while she was trying to asleep, but Richie shushed her softly and bounced her gently as she tucked her head into his neck.

"You realize how mad Bev's gonna be that you didn't ask her and Ben to be Ce's godparents, right?" Stan asked with a joking smile on her face.

"She already called dibs on officiating when Eds and I get married so she can chill out," Richie replied. Stan immediately raised an eyebrow and the implication of the wedding, and Richie blushed slightly. He and Eddie had never actually talked about getting married. There was obviously the implication of spending the rest of their lives together, especially with CeCe's adoption going through. Richie was sure Stan had known longer than he had that he was in love Eddie and the look he was giving him now was very reminiscent of their childhood.

Eddie, however, didn't even bat an eye expect to say, "Wait, wait, wait, hold up. You told Bev she could officiate our wedding? I fucking told Mike _he _could."

Richie stared at Eddie with his mouth open while Patty let out chuckle and Stan looked like he was trying to stop himself from laughing.

"Well, _shit,_" Richie said. He wouldn't admit to the relief he felt when Eddie talked about a wedding just as casually as he had, but the sly smile on Stan's face told him that his best friend had, as always, been able to read it on him perfectly. "Stan, I'm sorry, but we might have to go with Bev and Ben after all."

Stan just laughed loudly, then immediately moved to cover his mouth when CeCe stirred in Richie's arms. "No way, Tozier. We promised to be godparents to each other's kids when we were _seven, _remember? It was specifically a no-take-backs pinky promise."

Eddie and Patty, who had moved to stand with arms around each other "aww"ed dramatically. Richie just smiled, nodding. He kind of loved that Stan remembered that. CeCe shifted again and Richie sighed. He really did need to get her back to bed if he didn't want a crabby six year old on his hands all day tomorrow.

As if she could sense his thoughts, Patty piped up, "I can go put her back to bed if you want, Richie."

Eddie grimaced slightly at the suggestion and Richie tensed. Unless he was just completely not home and unavailable, Richie never let anyone but him or Eddie put CeCe to bed. It had taken five months to even let Eddie do it. It was paranoia, he knew, but it was on the list of things to work out with his therapist. He looked at Patty with a slightly apologetic and kind smile.

"That's okay, I got her. Thanks, though, Patty."

Seeming to realize the slight change in atmosphere, Patty smiled gently and nodded. She moved away from Eddie and over to Stan, taking her husband's hand in hers. It made a smile immediately appear on Stan's face as she did so, and if Richie didn't have a six year old at risk of waking up, he could've made a crack at how sappy it was. Instead, they all quietly bid each other good night. Stan and Patty both pressed a kiss to CeCe's hair and then Eddie walked them to the door while Richie moved through the apartment to CeCe's room.

The room was lit dimly from her bedside lap. The soft yellow of her walls seemed to glow and the sticky stars decorating her ceiling were ever so slightly lit up. She had toys strewn all over the room- something Richie was sure Eddie would make her clean up and organize tomorrow- and the small child's table in the corner had miscellaneous beads, long string, and a pair of safety scissors resting atop it. CeCe's little bed was full of stuffed animals, pillows, and way more blankets than a six year old could ever need. _"They're for my blanket forts, daddy!" _CeCe had supplied when he'd thought about packing some of them away in her closet. Everything in the room was a light., soft looking color that fit CeCe's personality perfectly.

Richie walked into the room, careful to kick away various toys that were in his way without jostling his daughter. CeCe was really clinging to his neck, but it was easy enough to deposit her onto the bed without her fussing. Richie silently pushed around her overcrowded bed until he had CeCe tucked in. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss into her curls and reached to shut off her light.

When Richie went back out into the living room, Stan and Patty were gone, the TV was shut off, and Eddie was in the kitchen filling a glass of water. Richie walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around Eddie's waist and kissing the back of his neck.

"You get her down?" Eddie asked him, gripping his glass of water and turning in Richie's arms so they were facing each other. Richie nodded in response.

"She didn't even wake up."

Eddie smiled in acknowledgement. He lightly kissed the underside of Richie jaw, the only place that didn't require him really leaning up. It was something Richie teased Eddie for relentlessly, though this time he let it slide.

"I love you, Eds," Richie whispered into the space between them. Eddie rolled his eyes, like he did every time Richie did something even remotely romantic.

"Whatever, you sap. I love you, too. Now get off me. I have to go to work tomorrow so you can sit around all day and play trophy husband."

Richie scoffed in fake offense, but released Eddie anyway. He followed him towards the bedroom exclaiming, "Excuse me! I stay home and take care of our daughter!"

Eddie snorted, "Rich, I'm pretty sure that she has her life together more than you do."

"That's not what your mom said wh-"

"That already doesn't make any sense, Trashmouth."

Richie just laughed joyously, jogging to catch up to Eddie. He caught his hand as they walked past where CeCe was sleeping peacefully and into their bedroom. 


End file.
